It was a dead chicken fledgling.
The zoo keeper had just put it into the cage when I walked by.
It was really an interesting sight. I didn't expect the owl to gulp down the whole chicken. Here's another shot, taken a few seconds before the first picture:

My photos @ flickr
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. -- Benjamin Franklin

I spotted this scene on Sunday, and passed it again yesterday – this time with a camera.

It could be just me, but there's something curiously satisfying about those geometric shapes, the hotel breaking the symmetry before it becomes too much, and the sunlight revealing all those primary colours. It's supposed to be banal, but it fascinates me!

Nice photos. AWR, that Transportation Museum facade reminds me of the view from the driver's seat when heading into Porte Maillot in Paris.

This is the Château de Mussegros, a seemingly abandoned manor in the Haute-Normandie region of France:

On the left is a tree-lined drive, which once upon a time might have looked like GSpotter's last photo. I walked up it a bit but I'll have to come back another time to photograph it properly.

In France, many grand properties are abandoned to the elements. I suppose there are more châteaux than people willing to pay for their upkeep. Very special buildings attract enough tourists to cover their costs, but many others are forgotten.

Still doing physics degree so not much photographing here at the moment, have bought a new camera though a Fuji HS20, I got less than half price, not too bad as long as I dont zoom in to 100%, but nice versatile camera with macro and 30x zoom to compliment my dSLR.

Well, in a few weeks I am off watch the Tour de France, have arranged to be at the high mountain stages in the Alps, then making my way down to the Pyrenees to catch the later stages there too...

...but wait, there are a couple of spare days...what better I thought than a visit to CERN!. So I emailed them, and holy crap, they let me in for the day!

GSpotter, I think you should have blurred the background gardens more decisively. That would draw the eye faster to the upside-down version in the glass ball. (I know my gate lock photo is worse in this regard.)

I would like your choice of background blur more if the photo was displayed larger, because the blur would definitely look deliberate then.

How do you decide on an f-number when shooting that kind of thing? I'm often not sure how the depth-of-field will look in the photo, especially when I'm using a lens I don't know very well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xaqtly

Moon!

Supermoon!

Quote:

Originally Posted by !Marc!

...what better I thought than a visit to CERN!. So I emailed them, and holy crap, they let me in for the day!

You know, in some universes I did press the button, I did create a black hole, and we did all get sucked in. And it is written that 2012 is the end of the world, and it is going to be Friday 13th when Im there...

so tips for shooting TDF. I am going to be on the Col de la Madeleine, taking my bike and cycling up it before the start, is it better to be shooting as they come up, or as they descend?

How do you decide on an f-number when shooting that kind of thing? I'm often not sure how the depth-of-field will look in the photo, especially when I'm using a lens I don't know very well.

Me too I therefore often take several shots with different f-stops in these cases. This time, I was there with my wife on a garden fair, so I just took a quick shot. I wanted the stucture of the garden in the background to be recognizable, so I stepped down quite a bit (too much). Hmm, I think I might revisit this shot after upgrading to PS CS6...

My photos @ flickr
The man who trades freedom for security does not deserve nor will he ever receive either. -- Benjamin Franklin